My invention relates to means and method improvements in the head of a golf club classified as a "wood" and having a resilient face plate. The improvement results in controlling the sound emitted from the club head upon golf ball impact with the face plate. The result is achieved partly by providing a chamber in the club head having the function of a Helmholtz resonator.
Previously known is use of a separate face plate on a golf club attached to a club head by screws or other means and an intended function of changing the interaction between the face of the club and a golf ball upon impact, i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,197, issued June 7, 1988, to David C. Orlowski. Also previously known is a metal club head and a cavity in a club head, also seen in the Orlowski patent. All of these factors (separate face plate, metal head, and head cavity) change the sound characteristics of a club head upon impact with a golf ball. Some sounds upon impact are more pleasant to the human ear than others. Metal clubs may make pinging, pincking or plincking sounds when striking golf balls. The ideal sound to many is the resounding thud that a wooden driver makes when struck on its sweet spot. It is an objective of my invention to provide metal or other non-wooden drivers with improved impact sounds upon striking golf balls similar to the sound of a well hit stroke with a driver made of wood.
Additional objectives include providing a first forward chamber in the club head covered by a face plate and a second rear chamber connected to the first chamber by a throat; devising the rear chamber in the club head as a Helmholtz resonator; modifying sounds produced in the chambers by use of air-filled, liquid-filled and/or solid-filled chambers; and to provide metal or the like "wood" heads with the above and other features and characteristics.
Further objective of my invention are to:
(a) maximize the flying distance of the ball, PA1 (b) take advantage of state-of-the art aluminum alloys for face plate fabrication, PA1 (c) suppress the metal pinging sound produced when a metal driver or the like strikes a golf ball, and PA1 (d) facilitate the production processes by using aerospace adhesives for improved strength and reduced production cost.
The unique features described hereafter enable a club head to be tailored to provide both enhanced driving performance and attenuation of harsh and unpleasant sounds produced when a non-wood driver or the like strikes a golf ball. Materials and cavity designs are varied to optimize the playing characteristics expected by today's discriminating golfers. The sound emitted by the club head can be reduced in amplitude and modified in pitch through the use of an integral Helmholtz resonator.
My invention will be best understood, together with additional objectives and advantages thereof, from the following description, read with reference to the drawings, in which: